Spain, Norway and Ireland will recognize the Palestinian State next week. Since the start of the war in Gaza, on October 7, several countries have spoken of the two states (Palestine and Israel) as part of the solution to the conflict in the Middle East, including the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union. European Union, but until now few Western leaders had taken the step of supporting Palestinian sovereignty in Gaza and the West Bank.
The 1948 UN decision that created the State of Israel provided for a neighboring Palestinian state, but some 70 years later control of the Palestinian territories remains divided and applications for membership in the Israeli Nations have been rejected. The Palestinian authorities celebrate the decision, which they consider a historic milestone in their fight to achieve sovereignty. But in reality the gesture has few practical effects. What exactly does the recognition of Palestine as a State mean?
In 1988, shortly before the second Intifada, Yasser Arafat, then president of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, proclaimed the State of Palestine, comprising the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital, which It represented just 22% of historical Palestine. It was reflected in the Declaration of Independence of the Palestinian National Council (PNC) on November 15, 1988 in Algiers, but the occupation of the territories by Israel, supported by its historical allies, never allowed the materialization of that State.
Following this declaration, 85 countries recognized the new Palestinian state, including most Arab countries. In the following years, other nations followed their efforts and, to date, 143 UN member states have recognized the sovereignty of Palestine. The majority are countries in the south and east. In 2014, Sweden became the first Western country to recognize Palestine, after joining the EU.
Eight other countries recognized Palestine before joining the EU, including Malta, Cyprus and several Eastern European countries. As of Tuesday, May 28, the total will rise to 11 of the 27 members of the EU (Spain and Ireland). Outside the community bloc, Iceland, the Vatican and, soon, Norway, officially recognize the State of Palestine.
Today, a country’s recognition of the Palestinian state remains primarily a symbolic gesture. In practice, the mere recognition of Palestinian sovereignty does not guarantee that the Palestinians have such sovereignty in the territories they claim. Israel continues to maintain control over borders, security and most resources in Gaza and the West Bank.
“The will of Norway, Ireland and Spain is to put Israel and Palestine on an equal footing within the logic of the two States as a solution to the conflict,” the director of Cidob (Barcelona Center for International Affairs) tells La Vanguardia. , Pol Morillas. “There is also the will to shift the EU’s position towards this recognition,” he adds.
However, the European politics expert believes that in practical terms the only recognition that would “make a substantial difference” to Palestine’s own status within the international community would be to become part of the United Nations as a member state and not as an observer. , as it is now. “And this will not happen at the moment because it requires the approval of the UN Security Council and the United States has already exercised its right to veto on this issue,” recalls Morillas.
Although the United States, like much of Israel’s Western allies, supports the idea of ??an independent Palestinian state that exists alongside Israel as a solution to the conflict, they understand that the recognition of Palestine must occur within the framework of these negotiations. There have been no substantive negotiations on this issue since 2009. Instead, Spain, Norway and Ireland consider the recognition of Palestinian sovereignty to be a necessary and prior step in the process of reaching the two-state solution.
The decision of the three European countries puts some pressure on Israel, hence the Israeli anger (which has called its ambassadors for consultations) and the joy of Hamas and the Palestinian National Authority (which interpret it as a legitimization of their cause). However, some analysts believe that the gesture has little effectiveness in actually putting pressure on Israel. “We must ask ourselves if some states take this measure to avoid taking other much more tangible measures, such as arms or trade embargoes and sanctions on the Israeli government,” said the co-director of the Al Shabaka think tank, the Palestinian Policy Network, Yara Hawari. in an article published late last month in Al Jazira.
